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Poised to continue a winning streak garnered by hits like "Brilliant Legacy" and "Swallow the Sun," SBS goes head to head with MBC's "Queen Seon-deok" tonight and looks set to carry on its weekend prime time title with the new series "Style." SBS' new Monday and Tuesday night series "Dream," which starts tonight, recalls the Hollywood flick "Jerry Maguire." "200 Pound Beauty" star Joo Jin-mo plays a slick and mercenary sports agent whose sudden fall from grace gets him to grow a heart of gold. Featuring "Boys Over Flowers" hottie Kim Bum as a K-1 fighter and K-pop singer Son Dam-bi as a Tae Bo instructor, the star-studded cast presents a formidable threat to rival series "Queen Seon-deok."
Wrestling ratings away from the historical epic, however, will not be easy. MBC's "Queen Seon-deok" brought in nationwide viewer ratings of 30.5 percent (AGB Nielsen Media Research) on Tuesday and is showing no signs of relinquishing its right to the Monday and Tuesday night prime time throne.
"Dream," however, promises to put up a good fight. A hot male cast, which includes a team of five hunks called the Flower Fighters, serves as eye candy for female viewers, while hot property Son Dam-bi and the world of K-1 fighting promises to nab male viewers.
The tried-and-tested story of a man who hits rock bottom and helps himself and a team of underdogs will appeal to audiences, as will the love triangle between Son Dam-bi's, Joo Jin-mo's and Kim Bum's characters.
While SBS' new weekend series "Style" faces less competition than "Dream," it bears the burden of following in the footsteps of its blockbuster predecessor "Brilliant Legacy." The hit series racked up nationwide ratings of 42.2 percent (AGB Nielsen Media Research) on July 19, putting the pressure on "Style."
The upcoming series, which is based on Baek Young-ok's award-winning novel, maps out the inner workings of a fashion magazine. "Tazza: The High Rollers" star Kim Hye-soo plays the harpy vice-director of the company. "Beethoven Virus" actress E Jiah plays her lowly assistant. Hallyu star Ryu Si-won and newcomer Lee Yong-woo add a romantic edge to the series.
The plotline brings hit flicks like "The Devil Wears Prada" and series like "Ugly Betty" and "Stylista" to mind, spinning out the familiar tale of the struggles of a frumpy assistant at a fashion rag and her tough-as-nails boss.
When "The Devil Wears Prada," which featured Meryl Streep, came up at the press conference last Monday, Kim Hye-soo shied away from comparison.
"Because Meryl Streep is such a great actress," said Kim. "I dare not imitate her."
The 38-year-old veteran revealed concerns she faced regarding her return to the small screen after a four-year hiatus.
"I thought, 'If I want to take in the real agenda, can I handle this schedule?'"
Kim rose to the challenge of playing the role of Park Ki-ja, a ruthless perfectionist with a penchant for designer goods. At the press conference, Kim highlighted the efforts she was making to add dimension to her role as a fashion mag's vice-director.
Co-star Ryu Si-won, who is also returning to Korea's small screen after four years, drew a crowd of around 350 Japanese fans to the press conference last Monday.
"Wherever I go, I think that about nine out of ten people recognize me," the Hallyu star discussed his rise to stardom in Japan over the past five years.
Fans laughed in response to his comment, to which Ryu teasingly answered, "Oh, is it 10 out of 10?"
Fans cheered.
In regards to his role as a macrobiotic chef, the 36-year-old actor answered: "I like cooking ... I also had a cookbook published."
Starring opposite Ryu is "Beethoven Virus" actress E Jiah. This is the second time she is working with a major Hallyu star, having starred opposite Bae Yong-joon in "The Legend."
"It is an honor," said E, when asked what it is like working with major stars like Ryu, Bae and "Beethoven Virus" actor Kim Myung-min.
Playing an ugly duckling who finds her inner swan, E revealed that her character starts to develop a sense of style in the fifth episode but isn't likely to make a full transformation until the second half of the series.
"I read the book, and the difficulties and episodes that women undergo while living in society came across as very fun, I believe," E discussed the original. "There are a lot of parts that I can relate to... And there are a lot of stylish episodes."
As with any fashion forward series, viewers will not only be paying attention to the plot, they will also be paying attention to the outfits. And according to Ryu, "Style" director Oh Jong-rok focused on the fashion from the get go.
"It will be fun, in part, to watch how outfits are styled," said Ryu. "I think women will really enjoy it."
"Style" starts Saturday on SBS at 10 p.m.
"Dream" starts tonight on SBS at 9:55 p.m.
More in-depth article about 'Dream':
'Dream' to Depict the World of Sports Business
The local drama scene has been offering a bit of everything, from the ancient tale of a queen, to advertising companies and figure skating. The new drama "Dream" will add the world of sports agents and K-1 to this varied roster of local television dramas.
The drama has caught attention with its impressive cast― singer-turned-actor Son Dam-bi, "Boys Over Flowers" actor Kim Bum and movie star Ju Jin-mo ― and a plot that follows the lives of a sports agent and K-1 fighters.
Nam Je-il, played by Ju, is a successful sports agent with some famous clients, but when one of his baseball stars gets involved in a drug case, he loses everything. But when the miserable Nam befriends former pickpocket and aspiring K-1 fighter Lee Jang-seok, played by Kim, and taebo instructor Park So-yeon, acted by Son, he decides to regain his glory by making Lee a star.
SBS had nicknamed Ju's character "Korea's Jerry Maguire," referencing the charismatic agent played by Tom Cruise, but Ju said it was difficult to play the part that has been his own personal favorite.
"After seeing my first shoot, I couldn't bear to look at myself. I looked so tense and nervous acting as the successful Nam. I finally decided to be myself and act as natural as possible," Ju said at a press conference last week in Busan.
In order to bring a sense of reality to his character, who shouts into the phone and runs around giving pep talks to his players, Ju worked alongside real agents.
Son, whose acting debut in Hollywood was postponed because of the economic crisis, said she chose to star in "Dream" as soon as she heard about who had been cast. Debuting alongside such famous colleagues was a burden, according to Son, but her fellow actors and staff complimented her for bringing energy to the set.
"I was never a good dancer, but now I'm a dance singer. I think it's the same with acting. I have been training as an actor during my spare time for the past four years. There's no one who's good at it from the start, and so I'm doing my best to not fall behind," she said.
Son's character, Park, is a bit of a tomboy. Taebo is an aerobic exercise that is closely related with the martial art taekwondo. Son, already slim-figured, eventually became a big fan of the exercise and was more than eager to offer it to fellow women.
"I lost about three to four kilograms, and it's a great way to lose weight. I've been dancing for a long time, but when I first tried taebo, I couldn't move the next day, which proves how much exercise it can be," she said, laughing.
The biggest transformation for the new series is that of Kim, who portrayed a pretty and rich museum heir in the hit drama Boys Over Flowers. Not only will he play a tough K-1 athlete, but a sad and lonely figure with a dark past.
"My character Lee is a nice person who doesn't want to come across as weak. He pretends to be tough and mean to protect himself. As he learns K-1, he finally realizes the importance of relationships and starts to open up," Kim said.
The drama is also expected to usher a new chapter of hallyu, or Korean Wave, in Japan, as the crew and staff also held a press conference in Tokyo to attract buyers and broadcasters.
"We cannot confirm the exact Japanese broadcaster, but the drama will start airing in Japanese households as well. This will be a great opportunity for local dramas, as many consider hallyu to be taking a downturn," an official from SBS said.
Thanks to the interest from Japan and also being a program about sports, "Dream" will also have two-time K-1 World MAX champion Masato make a special appearance in the drama, the first time for the 30-year-old to appear in a local drama.
Written by writer Jung Hyung-soo (Prince of the Legend, 2006) and produced by Baek Soo-chan (Golden Bride, 2007), "Dream" airs every Monday and Tuesday at 9:55 p.m. on SBS.
Sources: 1, 2
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Date: 2009-07-27 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-27 04:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-27 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-27 04:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-27 04:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-27 05:44 pm (UTC)... It makes me curious as to how they act around each other on set. XD
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Date: 2009-07-27 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-27 07:31 pm (UTC)hahaha
Date: 2009-07-28 02:16 am (UTC)Re: hahaha
Date: 2009-07-28 05:55 am (UTC)Re: hahaha
Date: 2009-07-28 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-27 10:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-28 03:50 am (UTC)can't wait for the drama to start
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Date: 2009-07-28 08:19 am (UTC)